Artificial intelligence automation for enrollment

ABSTRACT

A system and method are disclosed for detecting anomalies in input data. The input data can include enrollment information for members of a health insurance product offered by an insurance carrier. A system is configured to process one or more parameters associated with the input data to detect whether an anomaly is indicated in the input data. At least one artificial intelligence algorithm is configured to compare a parameter in the one or more parameters to a range defined by a moving average. When an anomaly is detected, the processing can be paused and manual intervention can be facilitated. When no anomaly is detected, a database is updated based on the input data. In an embodiment, the input data is an ANSI 834 format file that includes a plurality of membership records, and the one or more parameters are derived from statistics related to the membership records.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to information technology (IT) systems,and more particularly to automated tools for facilitating an enrollmentprocess implemented by health insurance carriers.

BACKGROUND

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)established a requirement that all health plans or health insurancecarriers accept a standard enrollment format for transmitting enrollmentdata electronically between a plan sponsor (e.g., employer) and a payer(e.g., insurance carrier). That enrollment format, ANSI (AmericanNational Standards Institute) 834 EDI (Electronic Data Interchange)Enrollment Implementation Format (hereinafter referred to as ANSI 834),specifies certain fields included in a file in order to transferinformation related to members and benefits of an insurance product(e.g., health insurance) offered by the insurance carrier.

A plan sponsor, such as an employer or a state entity, generallytransmits to the payer periodically (or provides access to retrieve) afile formatted according to the ANSI 834 format (e.g., once per day,once per month, etc.). The file contains membership records forindividuals enrolled in the plan sponsor's health insurance plan. Thepayer then processes this file to update their records and facilitatethe handling of claims filed by the various individuals that areenrolled. Processing this file manually can be time consuming andexpensive. For example, a state entity may submit a file containinghundreds or thousands of records for those citizens of the stateenrolled in a state-sponsored plan such as Medicare or Medicaid. Inorder to reduce costs and facilitate automated integration of enrollmentdata included in these files, some insurance carriers may utilizeautomated systems that attempt to parse the data from the ANSI 834 fileand update one or more databases with the appropriate information parsedfrom the file.

However, in some cases, the ANSI 834 file may contain corrupt,inaccurate, or false information. For example, an automated systemimplemented by the plan sponsor may not generate an accurate file thatreflects real enrollment data. For example, the fields in the file canbe formatted improperly, the information in the fields can be incorrectdue to improper data entry, or false records can be included in the file(e.g., records can be created for test purposes that do not reflect realmembership information). If these records are received by the automatedsystems, the systems may perform as intended and create false records inthe local database. The insurance carrier cannot rely on the records inthe database in this case and, sometimes, correcting these issues cancause large disruptions to services provided by the insurance carrier(e.g., claim payments can be delayed, new claims might not be accepted,etc.). Thus, there is a need to address these and other issues withautomated systems used for enrollment purposes.

SUMMARY

A system, method, and non-transitory computer-readable medium aredisclosed for detecting anomalies in input data. The input data can beprovided by a plan sponsor of an insurance product provided by aninsurance carrier. The input data can include enrollment information formembers of the insurance plan. Automated ingestion of the input data canimprove the services provided by the insurance carrier. However,automated systems conventionally do a poor job of recognizing when theinformation in the input data is corrupted or otherwise incorrect.Improved techniques for recognizing anomalies in the input data can helpimprove these automated systems.

In some embodiments, a system for detecting anomalies includes a memorystoring input data and one or more processors. The one or moreprocessors are configured to process one or more parameters associatedwith the input data to detect whether an anomaly is indicated in theinput data. At least one artificial intelligence algorithm is configuredto compare a parameter in the one or more parameters to a range definedby a moving average. The one or more processors are further configuredto pause the processing in response to detecting the anomaly, or update,when no anomaly is detected, a database based on the input data.

In some embodiments, the one or more parameters are derived from aplurality of membership records included in the input data. In anembodiments, the input data is an ANSI 834 format file. In anotherembodiment, the input data is an ANSI 837 format file.

In some embodiments, the one or more processors are associated with ahealth insurance carrier. The one or more processors are furtherconfigured to receive the input data from a plan sponsor via a network.The one or more processors are configured to convert the input data to adata structure in a second format based, at least in part, on one ormore validation rules, and generate a report associated with the inputdata that includes at least one of the one or more parameters processedby the at least one artificial intelligence algorithm.

In some embodiments, the at least one artificial intelligence algorithmis included in an artificial intelligence service. At least oneprocessor in the one or more processors is configured to call theartificial intelligence service via an application programming interface(API). The call includes the one or more parameters.

In some embodiments, the moving average is calculated, based on asliding window, as a sum of values for the parameter received during thesliding window from a plurality of input data divided by a number ofvalues included in the sum. The range is calculated by multiplying themoving average by a minimum coefficient and a maximum coefficient. In anembodiment, an upper limit and a lower limit of the range are learnedparameters based on training the artificial intelligence algorithm.

In some embodiments, the one or more parameters include at least one of:a number of records in the input data, a number of new enrollments inthe input data, a number of existing enrollments in the input data, or anumber of errors in demographics data included in the input data.

In some embodiments, the one or more processors are further configuredto implement a user interface that generates a notification transmittedto a client device that indicates the anomaly was detected in the inputdata.

In some embodiments, the one or more parameters include a plurality ofparameters. Each parameter in the plurality of parameters is processedby a different artificial intelligence algorithm in a plurality ofartificial intelligence algorithms Each artificial intelligencealgorithm utilizes different coefficients to calculate a range tocompare with a corresponding parameter in the plurality of parameters.

In some embodiments, a method is disclosed that includes the steps ofreceiving input data, processing, via at least one artificialintelligence algorithm, one or more parameters derived from the inputdata, and detecting an anomaly in the input data based on an output ofthe at least one artificial intelligence algorithm. Each artificialintelligence algorithm in the at least one artificial intelligencealgorithm is configured to compare a value for a parameter to a rangecalculated based on a moving average.

In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable medium isdisclosed storing instructions that, when executed by one or moreprocessors, cause the one or more processors to detect anomalies. Theone or more processors perform steps including receiving input data,processing, via at least one artificial intelligence algorithm, one ormore parameters derived from the input data, and detecting an anomaly inthe input data based on an output of the at least one artificialintelligence algorithm. Each artificial intelligence algorithm in the atleast one artificial intelligence algorithm is configured to compare avalue for a parameter to a range calculated based on a moving average.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a system for automated enrollment of members of aninsurance product, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 2 is an example of an ANSI 834 format file, in accordance with someembodiments.

FIG. 3 provides a conceptual illustration of a moving average, inaccordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 4 illustrates an aggregate data structure that includes parametersderived from input data, in accordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 5 illustrates a plurality of artificial intelligence algorithmsconfigured to analyze multiple parameters from the report, in accordancewith some embodiments.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of a method for processing enrollment data, inaccordance with some embodiments.

FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary dashboard, in accordance with someembodiments.

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary computer system, in accordance with someembodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and/or Deep Learning Neural Networks(DLNNs) can be utilized to assist in the automated processing ofenrollment data received from one or more plan sponsors associated withinsurance products offered by a payer. The payer manages an IT systemincluding one or more processors and other network resources configuredto receive input data including ANSI 834 format files, parse the inputdata to identify membership records specified in the ANSI 834 formatfile, and analyze the membership records to detect anomalies in theinput data. Processing of the membership records can be paused orstopped to facilitate manual intervention in the enrollment process whenanomalies are detected. AI techniques can be utilized when detecting theanomalies. In particular, an AI algorithm can compare a parameterderived from the information in the membership records to a rangecalculated based on a moving average. When the parameter is within thecalculated range, then the comparison indicates no anomaly. When theparameter falls outside the calculated range, then the comparisonindicates an anomaly.

FIG. 1 illustrates a system 100 for automated enrollment of members ofan insurance product, in accordance with some embodiments. As depictedin FIG. 1 , the system 100 includes a database 110, an enrollmentmanager 120, and an AI service 130. In an embodiment, each of thedatabase 110, the enrollment manager 120, and the AI service 130 can beimplemented on one or more devices connected to a network. For example,an insurance carrier can manage one or more data centers with a numberof server devices. Each server device can include one or moreprocessors, a memory, a network interface controller (NIC), and one ormore storage devices (e.g., hard disk drives (HDD), solid state drives(SSD), or the like). Instances of the components of system 100 can beexecuted by the number of server devices. In some cases, a component,such as the database 110, can be implemented in a distributed mannerwhere different instances of the component are executed on multipleserver devices in the same data center or multiple data centers. Inother cases, portions of a specific component can be implemented on aparticular server device while other portions of the component areimplemented on a separate server device. In other embodiments, thedatabase 110, the enrollment manager 120, and the AI service 130 can beimplemented on a single server device.

As depicted in FIG. 1 , the enrollment manager 120 includes a number ofcomponents including, but not limited to, an ingestion engine 122,validation and rules engine (VRE) 124, an anomaly engine 126, and a userinterface 128. In an embodiment, the ingestion engine 122 is configuredto receive input data 102. The input data 102 can include a file, a datapacket, a message (e.g., an email message, SMS message, etc.), anapplication programming interface (API) call, or the like. For example,the input data 102 can be provided as a file via a File TransportProtocol (FTP), an HTTP message in accordance with an API (e.g., usingRepresentational State Transfer (REST) APIs, or the like), usingTransport Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), or any otherwell-known technique for transferring data between two computer systemsover a network. The network can be a local area network (LAN) or a widearea network (WAN) such as the Internet (or a combination of one or moreLANs with an interface to the WAN).

In an embodiment, the input data 102 includes information related to theenrollment of individuals in a sponsored plan comprising benefitsprovided in association with an insurance product offered by theinsurance carrier. In some embodiments, the input data 102 is a fileformatted in accordance with an ANSI 834 format. The input data 102 caninclude membership records associated with one or more principal membersas well as dependents of the principal members.

In other embodiments, the input data 102 includes information related toinsurance claims for individuals enrolled in an insurance product. Insome embodiments, the input data 102 is a filed formatted in accordancewith an ANSI 837 format. Of course, in yet other embodiments, the inputdata 102 can be provided in accordance with other types of file formats.

In an embodiment, the ingestion engine 122 is configured to periodicallyconnect to an FTP site hosted by the plan sponsor and download any fileslocated at a particular location on the FTP site. In other words, theingestion engine 122 may poll each plan sponsor for new input dataperiodically every day, week, month or any other frequency configured byan administrator of the system 100. In another embodiment, the ingestionengine 122 passively accepts incoming requests including the input data102 or a pointer to a location of the input data 102 on the network. Forexample, the request can include a uniform resource locator (URL) thatenables the ingestion engine 122 to send an HTTP request to the URL todownload the input data 102. As another example, the request can includethe input data 102 in a body of an HTTP message, such as the input data102 being provided in an eXtensible Markup Language (XML) or JavaScriptObject Notation (JSON) format in the body of the HTTP message.

In an embodiment, the ingestion engine 122 is configured to retrieve theinput data 102 and notify the VRE 124 when the input data is available.The input data 102 can be stored in a local memory, such as by storing acopy of the input data 102 in a non-volatile memory associated with aparticular server device and forwarding a notification that the inputdata 102 is available to the VRE 124. The notification can include apointer to the input data 102 in the non-volatile memory accessible overthe network.

In an embodiment, the VRE 124 is configured to parse the input data 102and apply validation rules that ensure that the input data 102 containsvalid or expected information. In some embodiments, the VRE 124 parsesthe input data 102 to identify one or more membership records associatedwith principal members. In an embodiment, the VRE 124 creates a uniquedata structure for each membership record identified in the input data102. For example, the data structure can convert the information fromthe ANSI 834 format into a different format, such as an XML or JSONdocument that maps fields of the ANSI 834 format to fields specified bythe insurance carrier and utilized by the applications and/or servicesmanaged by the insurance carrier. In other embodiments, the VRE 124creates a single data structure for multiple membership records parsedfrom the input data 102. For example, the file containing the ANSI 834format data can be converted into a file containing the XML or JSONdocument for all membership records contained in the ANSI 834 formatdata.

For each membership record identified in the contents of the input data102, the VRE 124 determines whether the membership record conforms withthe expected format, such as the ANSI 834 format. More particularly, thevalidation rules can confirm that each element included in themembership record matches the attributes defined in the ANSI 834standard and that a minimum number of required attributes are includedin the membership record. It will be appreciated that the informationincluded in a membership record can include optional elements such asdependent information, so the validation rules may ensure that a certainsubset of possible elements are included in each membership record(e.g., member details, subscriber number, name, address, etc.). In someembodiments, the validation rules can also be applied to make sure atleast a subset of the information in the fields is within an expectedrange. For example, when the plan sponsor is a state, the validationrules can confirm that the residential address for a member is locatedin that particular state (e.g., by city/state/zip/country values enteredin a particular field or fields of the membership record). As anotherexample, the validation rules can restrict information in certain fieldsto a subset of alternative information, such as ensuring Male/Female (Mor F) options are chosen for a gender field (as well as other genderoptions, if allowed).

The validation rules guarantee that the input data 102 is in the correctformat and that certain expected fields are included in each membershiprecord as well as possibly restricting certain fields to contain valueswithin a specified range (e.g., zip codes). However, the validationrules are not intended to identify whether the information in thosefields is accurate or likely to be directed to a real person in contrastto, e.g., a fake person created for a test of any IT system. For anadditional layer of security, AI algorithms can be employed to analyzethe information included in the fields of the input data 102. The AIalgorithms can analyze specific fields in the membership recordsthemselves as well as other parameters or statistics derived from theinformation in the fields and determine whether the information orstatistical values fall within an expected range based on historicaldata.

For example, the AI algorithms can analyze various parameters includedin or derived from the input data 102. In one case, the AI algorithmscan analyze a total number of membership records included in aparticular input data 102 file and determine whether that number fallswithin a particular range in line with historical trends. For example, aparticular state plan may experience new enrollments at a rate that,while varying, tends to follow a particular trend based on totalpopulation of the state, macroeconomic considerations, time of year,etc. and the AI algorithm can be trained to detect if the input data 102is similar to other input data 102 or diverges from historical trends.In another case, the AI algorithms can analyze distributions of membersby zip code to determine if the distribution of members by area of astate matches historical trends. In yet another case, the AI algorithmscan monitor a number of membership records associated with newenrollments and/or a number of membership records associated withupdated demographic information.

In some embodiments, the VRE 124 can generate one or more datastructures that include parsed and validated membership records as wellas, optionally, additional information in a data structure that includesstatistical information or parameters derived from the membershiprecords. In one embodiment, the VRE 124 is configured to generate APIcalls for an AI service 130 to analyze the output of the VRE 124. TheAPI calls can be transmitted over the network and include the output ofthe VRE 124 or a pointer to a location of the output located in anetwork storage location.

The AI service 130 is configured to, responsive to the API call, processthe output of the VRE 124 with one or more AI algorithms in order todetermine whether a number of parameters in the output fall within anexpected range. The output of the VRE 122 can include a parsed versionof the input data 102 in a second format and/or a data structureincluding one or more parameters derived from the information in theinput data 102. In an embodiment, the one or more AI algorithms caninclude an algorithm that calculates a moving average for a parameter.The algorithm can, based on a sliding window, track a moving averageassociated with a given parameter and compare the value for theparameter to the moving average. In some embodiments, the sliding windowcan be configured as a 7-day or a 30-day window such that the movingaverage represents an average value calculated based on parameter valuesreceived over the last 7 or 30 days, respectively. Of course, it will beappreciated that other time frames can be used for the sliding windowsuch as 3-months or 1-year.

In an embodiment, the moving average value is compared with the instantparameter value based on a range calculated relative to the movingaverage value. The range can be set based on a percentage. For example,the range can be set equal to [0.79*MA,1.21*MA] where the range is givenas 79% to 121% of the moving average (MA) value. The particularcoefficients represent a percentage that, when multiplied by the movingaverage value, result in a threshold value below and above the movingaverage value, respectively. In some embodiments, the particularcoefficients can be manually configured for each parameter tracked bythe AI algorithms. In other embodiments, the particular coefficients canbe updated automatically by the AI algorithm. For example, the AIalgorithm can track an effective frequency that input data is outsidethe range and adjust the coefficients such that the rate of inclusive orexclusive values compared to the range is tracking towards a targetvalue. For example, the coefficients can be adjusted dynamically toattempt to reject 1% of all input data as having a parameter outside ofthe given range.

In some embodiments, the range can be set based on a standard deviationof the parameter values. For example, the upper limit of the range canbe set by adding a multiple of the standard deviation to the movingaverage (e.g., MA+c·σ), and the lower limit of the range can be set bysubtracting a multiple of the standard deviation from the moving average(e.g., MA−c·σ). The multiple, c, can be set to an integer or, in somecases, a floating point value. For example, when c is set equal to 2,the value of the parameter is expected to fall within the range over 95%of the time based on the historical data. The standard deviation can becalculated based on values of the parameter restricted to the slidingwindow or, alternatively, can be calculated based on values collectedover a different time frame (e.g., values within the last year).

In some embodiments, the particular coefficients and/or the upper limitand lower limit of the range can be learned during training.Specifically, a training data set can be generated that includeshistorical input data as well as the target output value of thealgorithm. The moving average is dictated by the historical input data,but the coefficients or limits of the range can be adjusted such that adifference between the output of the algorithm and the target outputvalues are minimized.

FIG. 1 depicts the AI service 130 as being separate and distinct fromthe enrollment manager 120. In some embodiments, the AI service 130 canbe implemented within the AI engine 124 such that the output of the VRE124 is directly processed by the AI algorithms within the enrollmentmanager 120 without requiring an API call to be made to an externalservice.

In some embodiments, the AI service 130 returns a response to theanomaly engine 126 that indicates whether each of the one or moreparameters are within a range of corresponding threshold values. Theanomaly engine 126 identifies whether any anomalies are detected in theinput data 102 based on the response from the AI service 130. In anembodiment, if any of the monitored parameters are outside the givenrange, then an anomaly is detected. In another embodiment, if the numberof parameters outside a corresponding range is greater than a thresholdvalue, then an anomaly is detected. In yet another embodiment, if thenumber of parameters within a corresponding range is less than athreshold value, then an anomaly is detected.

When an anomaly is detected, the anomaly engine 126 is configured totake one or more actions based on the anomaly. In some embodiments, theanomaly engine 126 halts or pauses processing of the input data 102. Anotification message may be sent to a responsible administrator in orderfor manual intervention in reviewing the input data 102. Thenotification message can comprise an API call to a user interface (UI)128. For example, the UI 128 can include a web-based dashboard thatallows a user to view notification messages for pending tasks ofprocessing different input data 102. In another embodiment, thenotification message can comprise an email message that is forwarded toan email client. The email message can notify a responsibleadministrator that an anomaly has been detected.

The anomaly engine 126 waits to receive input from the responsiblemanager, e.g., in the form of a response message that indicates whetherthe task should be canceled or resumed. If the task is resumed, then theanomaly is dismissed and the output of the VRE 124 is added to thedatabase 110. However, if the task is canceled, then the output of theVRE 124 is not added to the database 110 and the input data 102 issimply dismissed.

In some embodiments, the responsible administrator can use the UI 128 toselect or mark certain membership records in the output of the VRE 124.In this manner, a responsible administrator, through manualintervention, can allow certain membership records in the input data 102to be added to the database 110 while preventing other membershiprecords in the input data 102 from being added to the database 110. Inthis manner, even if the AI algorithms identify an anomaly, theresponsible administrator has remedies available to correct the basis ofthe anomaly. For example, if there appears to be a number of invalidmembership records in addition to valid membership records, then thevalid membership records can be added to the database 110.

In some embodiments, the database 110 is a relational database thatincludes one or more tables storing information about members enrolledin one or more insurance products. For example, a first table caninclude member records including information such as name, address,identifiers or member IDs, birth dates, demographic information, and thelike. A second table can include employment information for a member. Athird table can include language preferences for a member. A fourthtable can include policy information for a member. Updating the database110 can comprise copying information from fields in the membershiprecords from the input data 102 into fields of one or more tablesrelated to a particular member. It will be appreciated that records canbe created when a member is being added to a table or updated wheninformation for a member previously exists in the table, but isdifferent from the information in the membership record from the inputdata 102.

Those of skill in the art will appreciate that the characterization ofthe database 110 provided herein is merely one example of animplementation of a local data store for enrollment information. Whilethe database 110 is described as a relational database that can bequeried using, e.g., a SQL query, the database 110 can also be akey-value data store, a distributed database, and the like.

In addition, it will be appreciated that the enrollment manager 120 canincludes components in addition to or in lieu of the components showntherein. For example, the UI 128 and/or the ingestion engine 122 can beimplemented as separate components that are external to the enrollmentmanager 120 and interface with the enrollment manager 120 through one ormore APIs.

FIG. 2 is an example of an ANSI 834 format file, in accordance with someembodiments. The input data 102 is a file structure stored in a memorysuch as a hard disk drive (HDD) or temporarily loaded into a volatilememory such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM). The input data 102can include a header 210 and file contents 220. The header 210 cancontain information about the contents of the file. For example, theheader can specify the file type, format parameters of the file, a sizeor length of the file, and the like. The contents 220 can includeencoded data for a plurality of membership records 222. In oneembodiment, the membership records 222 are data structures having anumber of fields including a member level detail field (INS*Y), asubscriber number field (REF*OF), a group sub-location division field(REF*IL), a hire date field (DTP*336), an employee name field (NMI), anemployee street address field (N3), an employee city/state/zip/countryfield (N4), a member demographics field (DMG), a coverage data field(HD), a coverage dates field (DTP*348), a coverage end date field(DTP*349), and a dependent field (INS*N). The fields can repeat for eachdependent of the member associated with the membership record. It willbe appreciated that the fields can include any number and specifiedorder of fields as defined in the ANSI 834 standard.

The member level detail field is described as containing a line of ASCIItext. For example, the field can contain the text“INS*Y*18*030*XN*A*E**FT” where: “INS” identifies the line as a memberlevel detail field; “Y” indicates whether the member is a subscriber (Y)or a dependent (N); “18” indicates a relationship as an employee (18), aspouse (01), or a child (19); “030” indicates the record is full; “XN”is a reason code; “A” indicates a status code as active (A) or COBRA(C); “E” indicates whether the plan is a Medicare plan (D) or not aMedicare plan (E); and “H” is the employee status as full-time (FT) orpart-time (PT). The options in the field are separated by a “*”character and two consecutive “*” characters indicates a missing field.In this case, the missing field can indicate whether the employeequalifies for COBRA.

The other fields in each membership records have various specifiedinformation, such as including an employee's social security number orother identifier, account numbers, plan identifiers, marital status, orthe like. In addition, the contents 220 can include one or moremembership records 222, either concatenated therein or separated by adelimiter or other intervening data or information.

Information related to the ANSI 834 standard is well-known by those ofskill in the arts subject to the HIPAA law. However, it will beappreciated that the embodiments described herein are not merely limitedto a specific format of input data 102. For example, if the ANSI 834standard is changed, then various embodiments can be adapted to workwith the different format containing information. Furthermore, theencoded contents 220 and/or the input data file 102 can be optionallyencrypted to protect the privacy of the information contained therein.It will be appreciated that the contents of the ANSI 834 file containpersonally identifying information such as name, address, socialsecurity number, dependents' names, marital status, and otherinformation that can be used for nefarious purposes by unscrupulouspeople. Therefore, additional layers of security such as private keyexchange (PKA) techniques or using digital certificates can be used whentransferring the input data 102 to the ingestion engine 122. In someembodiments, the ingestion engine 122 can be configured to confirm thatthe source of the input data 102 is a trusted data source and decryptthe input data 102 upon receipt of the input data 102 using well-knownencryption and decryption techniques.

FIG. 3 provides a conceptual illustration of a moving average, inaccordance with some embodiments. The AI service 130 can include anumber of different algorithms. In some embodiments, each algorithm cananalyze a corresponding parameter generated by the VRE 124 based on theinput data 102. In an embodiment, an AI algorithm implemented by the AIservice 130 compares a parameter with a range to determine whether theparameter falls within the range. The range is dynamic and determined bythe artificial intelligence algorithm based on a calculated movingaverage of the parameter derived from input data 102 received over aprevious period of time (e.g., 30 days). The range, therefore, tracksexpected values of the parameter by looking for a sudden and out of theordinary change in the parameter value.

A chart 300 illustrates the concept of the moving average. Each day, adifferent input data 102 file can be received with new enrollmentinformation. A data structure is generated by the VRE engine 124 basedon the input data 102 and a parameter value in the data structure can beanalyzed by the AI algorithm. As different parameters are generated eachday, the value of the parameter can change from one day to another. Asis plotted in the chart 300, a first input data 102 is received on dayzero and a corresponding parameter value 302 is shown on the left sideof the chart 300. The following day, day one, a second input data 102 isreceived and a corresponding parameter value 304, higher than parametervalue 302 is plotted on the chart to the right of parameter value 302.Additional input data 102 are received on subsequent days and plotted asparameter values 306, 308, 310, 312, and 314 and so forth.

A moving average 320 can be calculated from the plotted parametervalues. The moving average 320 changes daily as old parameter values areexcluded from the moving average 320 and new parameter values take theirplace. As is well known, the moving average 320 can be calculated bysumming the parameter values collected over the previous N days and thendividing by the total number of days in a sliding window. The size ofthe sliding window (e.g., N days), can be set based on a particularapplication. A smaller size is more responsive to short term trendswhile a larger size is more stable and is not as responsive to shortterm outliers. The above description of the calculation assumes that oneparameter value is added per day (i.e., the AI algorithms processesparameter values from one ANSI 834 formatted file per day). However,more generally, the moving average can be calculated by summing a numberof data points collected during the sliding window and then dividing bythe total number of data points. This general statement of the movingaverage is applicable regardless of whether multiple data points arecollected each day or data points are only collected more sporadically(i.e., less than once per day). For example, if 45 data points arecollected in a 30-day window, then the moving average can be calculatedby summing the 45 data points and then dividing by 45.

The AI algorithm compares a parameter value derived from a datastructure generated by the VRE 124 to a range for the parameter valuecalculated by the AI algorithm. If the parameter value falls within therange, then the parameter value is acceptable and not anomalous.However, if the parameter value falls outside the range, then theparameter value can be indicated to be an anomaly that warrants furtheranalysis or investigation. The range can be calculated by multiplyingthe moving average 320 by a low and high coefficient (e.g., a minimumcoefficient and a maximum coefficient). The minimum coefficient can beless than 1.0 and the maximum coefficient can be greater than 1.0. Ineffect the range represents a percentage below and above the movingaverage 320 that indicates that a parameter value is similar topreviously received values for the parameter. In other embodiments, therange can also be calculated by adding or subtracting a multiple of thestandard deviation for a parameter value to a moving average for theparameter.

In some embodiments, the AI algorithm can utilize configurableparameters for the size of the sliding window and the coefficients usedfor calculating the range. In an embodiment, an administrator canpre-set the configurable parameters based on analysis of historical datafor what would constitute an adequate result. For example, tests of theAI algorithm can be run using historical input data to determine thebest values for the size of the sliding window and the propercoefficients to use for calculating the range. The tests can pick valuesthat provide for an acceptable frequency of detected anomalies or thataccurately detect known anomalies in the historical input data.

In another embodiment, the AI algorithm can be trained using historicaldata and a target output (i.e., whether the algorithm classifies theparameter value as acceptable or an anomaly) in order to adjust theconfigurable parameters. While the moving average value is not trainablebecause it depends on the calculation of an equation based entirely onthe order and values of the parameter over time, the specificclassification of whether the parameter value should be identified as ananomaly given the specific set of inputs, and the order of said inputs,in the training set can be adjusted in order to teach the AI algorithmwhere to set the coefficients for the range and/or the size of thesliding window. In this case, an advanced analysis of historical data isnot needed to find the optimal size of the sliding window and/orcoefficients. Instead, only a conclusion as to whether a specificparameter value is indicative of an anomaly is needed and then theoptimal parameters for the algorithm can be learned.

In some embodiments, the parameters for the algorithm can be trainedbased on feedback provided by a user. For example, as new input data isreceived, the AI algorithm identifies the parameter value as eitheracceptable or indicative of an anomaly. In the case of the parameterbeing acceptable, the configurable parameters of the algorithm can bechanged to narrow the acceptable range for new input data. In the caseof the parameter being identified as an anomaly, a message is sent to aresponsible administrator to review the input data and confirm whetherthere is an anomaly. If the responsible administrator indicates that theparameter value is acceptable and that, after further inspection, thereis no anomaly in the input data, then the configurable parameters can bechanged to broaden the acceptable range for new input data such thatfalse positives are less likely to occur. However, if the responsibleadministrator indicates that the anomaly was confirmed, the configurableparameters can remain the same. The amount that the configurableparameters are changed can be small and/or the amount of the incrementalchange can be different depending on whether the parameter isincremented or decremented. For example, when the expected number ofanomalies is small, the scale of broadening the range can be much largerthan the scale of narrowing the range to reflect the relative scarcityof false positives of an anomaly compared to the normal case where theparameter is acceptable.

In other embodiments, other techniques for automatically adjusting theconfigurable parameters of the algorithm are contemplated as beingwithin the scope of the AI algorithm. For example, the parameters forthe range (e.g., coefficients) should only be changed to narrow therange after detecting a threshold number of acceptable results in a row(e.g., acceptable results for 30 days in a row). In contrast, theparameters for the range are broadened whenever an anomaly results infeedback, based on further manual analysis, that the anomaly was a falsepositive. Since such cases are rare and could reflect that the range istoo narrow, the range may be increased. In some cases, the range can beincremented or decremented in an unbalanced manner. In other words, theminimum value of the range can be adjusted separately and distinct fromthe maximum value of the range. This can make sense where falsepositives are detected near either the low end or the high end of therange. If the parameter value is greater than the maximum value of therange, then only the maximum value is adjusted up to broaden the range.Similarly, if the parameter value is less than the minimum value of therange, then only the minimum value is adjusted down to broaden therange.

FIG. 4 illustrates a data structure that includes parameters 400 relatedto an input data 102, in accordance with some embodiments. In someembodiments the VRE 122, in addition to converting the information inthe input data 102 from the ANSI 834 format to a second preferredformat, can generate a data structure that includes a number ofparameters 400 derived from the input data 102.

In an embodiment, the parameters 400 in the data structure specifystatistics related to the total number of membership records included inthe input data 102. For example, as depicted in FIG. 4 , the statisticscan indicate a total number of membership records (e.g., enrollmentrecords indicated with an INS* field) included in the input data 102.The statistics can also include a number of subsequent file records.Other statistics can include a number of new enrollments identified inthe input data 102; a number of existing enrollments to be updated; atotal error count in demographics data as identified by validation rules(e.g., incorrect city/state/zip/country data, incorrect genderinformation); a total error count in enrollment data as identified byvalidation rules (e.g., incorrect benefit information, incorrectemployer information, etc.); a number of records with insufficientsubscriber identifier information; a total number of records forterminating enrollment; a total number of records terminated based onabsence of enrollment data; a total number of enrollment records voided;a total number of membership records indicating a change in benefit; anda total number of new membership records with insufficient enrollmentinformation. It will be appreciated that the list set forth above is notexhaustive and that additional statistics or parameters 400 can beincluded in the data structure. Furthermore, the statistics can bederived in different manners. For example, a statistic based on totalerror count can be provided as an absolute value of the number ofmembership records in the input data 102 with identified errors or as apercentage of the membership records with identified errors.

FIG. 5 illustrates a plurality of AI algorithms configured to analyzemultiple parameters from the data structure of FIG. 4 , in accordancewith some embodiments. As depicted in FIG. 5 , three AI algorithms areconfigured to process three separate and distinct parameters from thedata structure of FIG. 4 . A first AI algorithm 512 processes a firstparameter 502, a second AI algorithm 514 processes a second parameter504, and a third AI algorithm 516 processes a third parameter 506. EachAI algorithm generates an indication of whether the correspondingparameter is indicative of an anomaly in the input data 102. In someembodiments, each AI algorithm outputs a binary classification (e.g., 0or 1) that indicates whether the parameter is acceptable or indicativeof an anomaly. The outputs of each of the AI algorithms are combined(e.g., concatenated) to form an anomaly vector 520. It will beappreciated that three AI algorithms are shown in FIG. 5 , but anynumber of AI algorithms are contemplated as processing any number ofparameters in parallel.

The anomaly engine 126 receives the anomaly vector 520 and determineswhether there is an indication of an anomaly in the input data 102. Inan embodiment, if any bit in the anomaly vector 520 is set (i.e.,indicating that there is an indication of an anomaly in a correspondingparameter), then the anomaly engine 126 halts the processing of theinput data 102 and issues a notification to an administrator to reviewthe parameters 400 and/or the input data 102 to determine if correctiveaction (e.g., canceling the task, modifying or deleting certainmembership records, etc.) is needed.

In another embodiment, if the anomaly vector 520 includes a number ofset bits above a threshold number of set bits, then the anomaly engine126 halts the processing of the input data 102 and issues a notificationto an administrator to review the parameters 400 and/or the input data102 to determine if corrective action is needed. In such embodiments,the threshold number of set bits can be greater than or equal to one torequire two or more parameters be anomalous before an anomaly isdetected. For example, if twelve parameters are analyzed by twelvedifferent AI algorithms, then the threshold for an anomaly beingdetected by the anomaly engine 126 can require at least two or threedifferent indications of an anomaly. In other words, a small number(e.g., one or two, for example) of parameters can fall outside of anexpected range without halting the processing of the input data 102 dueto a potential anomaly.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of a method 600 for processing enrollment data,in accordance with some embodiments. The method 600 can be performed bya program, custom circuitry, or by a combination of custom circuitry anda program. Furthermore, persons of ordinary skill in the art willunderstand that any system that performs method 600 is within the scopeand spirit of the embodiments described herein.

At step 602, input data is received. In an embodiment, an ingestionengine 110 retrieves an ANSI 834 format file from a network location.The input data 102 can be stored in a memory accessible by an enrollmentmanage 120. In other embodiments, the input data 102 is a different filetype such as an ANSI 837 claims format file.

At step 604, validation rules are applied to the input data. In someembodiments, the input data 102 can be converted from a first format toa second format. For example, the ANSI 834 format file can be convertedto a different data structure that matches fields required by a database140 maintained by an insurance provider. In an embodiment, the VRE 124generates a data structure with one or more parameters 400 related tostatistics derived from the input data 102. The data structure can beprovided in addition to the data structure generated by converting theinput data 102 in accordance with the validation rules.

At step 606, one or more parameters are processed by AI algorithms 606.In an embodiment, a number of parameters 400 are processed by the AIalgorithms to generate an anomaly vector 520 that indicates whether eachparameter of the one or more parameters 400 are indicative of an anomalyin the input data 102. It will be appreciated that all parameters 400 inthe data structure are not necessarily the selected one or moreparameters 400, and the selected one or more parameters 400 can beselected based on analysis of historical data that identifies whichparameters 400 are most indicative of anomalies in the input data 102.

At step 608, it is determined whether an anomaly is indicated based onthe processing by the AI algorithms. In an embodiment, an anomaly isdetected when at least one bit in the anomaly vector 520 is set, whichindicates at least one parameter was outside the bounds of an expectedrange based on a moving average of the parameter calculated fromprevious input data. In another embodiment, an anomaly is detected whena sum of the bits in the anomaly vector 520 is greater than a thresholdvalue, which indicates at least two or more parameters, corresponding tothe threshold value, are outside the bounds of an expected range basedon a moving average of each corresponding parameter calculated fromprevious input data.

If, at step 608, no anomaly is detected, then, at step 610, themembership data output by the VRE 124 is utilized to update a database110 that includes enrollment data. The membership records in the outputcan be used to update records in the database 110 or create new recordsin the database 110. However, if, at step 608, an anomaly is detected,then, at step 612, a notification is transmitted to a responsibleadministrator. In an embodiment, an email is transmitted to an emailaddress associated with the responsible administrator. In anotherembodiment, a message is transmitted to a UI 128, such as a web-baseddashboard implemented by a server device and accessible from a browserapplication in a client device. The message can cause the UI 128 todisplay a notification to the responsible administrator that indicatesan anomaly is detected in the input data 102 and prompt the responsibleadministrator to select a remedial action.

At step 614, remedial action is taken based on feedback from theresponsible administrator. In an embodiment, remedial action can beprovided by providing simply commands in the body of an email message(e.g., including the term “STOP” or “DISMISS” in the body of the emailmessage). In another embodiment, the UI 128 can facilitate theresponsible administrator to issue commands for remedial action. Forexample, a dashboard can provide the responsible administrator theability to view the parameters 400, edit the output of the membershiprecords in the output of the VRE 124, cancel the processing of the inputdata 102, or resume processing of the input data 102 to permit thedatabase 110 to be updated based on the membership records.

FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary dashboard 700, in accordance with someembodiments. In an embodiment, the dashboard 700 is an example of agraphical user interface (GUI) associated with the UI 128. The dashboard700 can be displayed in a browser of a client device that communicateswith a server device that implements the UI 128. The dashboard 700 canprovide indications of pending tasks (or jobs) that are currently beingprocessed by the enrollment manager 120. A graphical element, such as abox or region of the displayed web page in the browser, can provideinformation on each pending job, such as a name of the state or plansponsor associated with the input data 102, an identifier for the tasksuch as a job number, a mode of processing the task, a start time of thetask, and an elapsed run time of the task. The graphical element canalso show a current status of the task, such as “Paused” or “Running” or“Canceled”, as well as a progress associated with the task, such asindicating whether the ingestion engine 122 has completed processing,the VRE 124 has completed processing, or whether the database 110 hasbeen updated by the anomaly engine 126.

The graphical element for a particular job can also include elementssuch as buttons or other interactive elements that enable a responsibleadministrator to take remedial actions related to that particular job.As depicted in FIG. 7 , the interactive elements include a button thatcauses a log or information associated with the membership recordsand/or parameters 400 to be viewed and/or edited by the responsibleadministrator. Another interactive element enables the job to berestarted. As jobs are paused, new jobs can advance and change theparameters of the AI algorithms (e.g., the moving average changes or thecoefficients for calculating a range for a particular parameter willchange over time). As such, a job can be restarted to determine whetherthe anomaly is still detected in accordance with the new parameters.Another interactive element allows the responsible administration tocancel the job, thereby discarding the membership records included inthe input data 102. Another interactive element allows for the job to beresumed, essentially allowing the responsible administrator to overridethe finding of an anomaly and proceed with the update to the database110.

Different jobs can be displayed in different graphical elements of thedashboard 700, such as when multiple pending jobs are paused due todetected anomalies. The dashboard 700 can also include a function tosearch for pending or completed jobs by keywords or other criteria,manage settings associated with the dashboard 700, or view parameters400 related to each job or statistics related to all jobs (e.g., numberof jobs completed per month, number of jobs where anomalies weredetected, etc.).

It will be appreciated that the dashboard 700 is merely shown as oneexemplary implementation of the UI 128. However, the specific elementsof the dashboard 700 may be expanded or contracted as particularapplications require. Furthermore, the UI 128 can be implemented as aweb-based application, a client application viewed through an APP on amobile device or tablet, a conventional desktop application, or thelike.

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary computer system 800, in accordance withsome embodiments. The computer system 800 includes a processor 802, anon-volatile memory 804, and a network interface controller (NIC) 820.The processor 802 can execute instructions that cause the computersystem 800 to implement the functionality various elements of the system100 described above. The computer system 800 can also implement a clientdevice configured to display the GUI on a browser application or otherapplication.

Each of the components 802, 804, and 820 can be interconnected, forexample, using a system bus to enable communications between thecomponents. The processor 802 is capable of processing instructions forexecution within the system 800. The processor 802 can be asingle-threaded processor, a multi-threaded processor, a vectorprocessor or parallel processor that implements a single-instruction,multiple data (SIMD) architecture, or the like. The processor 802 iscapable of processing instructions stored in the volatile memory 804. Insome embodiments, the volatile memory 804 is a dynamic random accessmemory (DRAM). The instructions can be loaded into the volatile memory804 from a non-volatile storage, such as a Hard Disk Drive (HDD) or asolid state drive (not explicitly shown), or received via the network.In an embodiment, the volatile memory 804 can include instructions foran operating system 806 as well as one or more applications 808. It willbe appreciated that the application(s) 808 can be configured to providethe functionality of one or more components of the system 100, asdescribed above. The NIC 820 enables the computer system 800 tocommunicate with other devices over a network, including a local areanetwork (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet.

It will be appreciated that the computer system 800 is merely oneexemplary computer architecture and that the processing devicesimplemented in the system 100 can include various modifications such asadditional components in lieu of or in addition to the components shownin FIG. 8 . For example, in some embodiments, the computer system 800can be implemented as a system-on-chip (SoC) that includes a primaryintegrated circuit die containing one or more CPU cores, one or more GPUcores, a memory management unit, analog domain logic and the likecoupled to a volatile memory such as one or more SDRAM integratedcircuit dies stacked on top of the primary integrated circuit dies andconnected via wire bonds, micro ball arrays, and the like in a singlepackage (e.g., chip). In another embodiment, the computer system 800 canbe implemented as a server device, which can, in some embodiments,execute a hypervisor and one or more virtual machines that share thehardware resources of the server device.

It is noted that the techniques described herein may be embodied inexecutable instructions stored in a computer readable medium for use byor in connection with a processor-based instruction execution machine,system, apparatus, or device. It will be appreciated by those skilled inthe art that, for some embodiments, various types of computer-readablemedia can be included for storing data. As used herein, a“computer-readable medium” includes one or more of any suitable mediafor storing the executable instructions of a computer program such thatthe instruction execution machine, system, apparatus, or device may read(or fetch) the instructions from the computer-readable medium andexecute the instructions for carrying out the described embodiments.Suitable storage formats include one or more of an electronic, magnetic,optical, and electromagnetic format. A non-exhaustive list ofconventional exemplary computer-readable medium includes: a portablecomputer diskette; a random-access memory (RAM); a read-only memory(ROM); an erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM); a flash memorydevice; and optical storage devices, including a portable compact disc(CD), a portable digital video disc (DVD), and the like.

It should be understood that the arrangement of components illustratedin the attached Figures are for illustrative purposes and that otherarrangements are possible. For example, one or more of the elementsdescribed herein may be realized, in whole or in part, as an electronichardware component. Other elements may be implemented in software,hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. Moreover, some orall of these other elements may be combined, some may be omittedaltogether, and additional components may be added while still achievingthe functionality described herein. Thus, the subject matter describedherein may be embodied in many different variations, and all suchvariations are contemplated to be within the scope of the claims.

To facilitate an understanding of the subject matter described herein,many aspects are described in terms of sequences of actions. It will berecognized by those skilled in the art that the various actions may beperformed by specialized circuits or circuitry, by program instructionsbeing executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of both.The description herein of any sequence of actions is not intended toimply that the specific order described for performing that sequencemust be followed. All methods described herein may be performed in anysuitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearlycontradicted by context.

The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar references inthe context of describing the subject matter (particularly in thecontext of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both thesingular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearlycontradicted by context. The use of the term “at least one” followed bya list of one or more items (for example, “at least one of A and B”) isto be construed to mean one item selected from the listed items (A or B)or any combination of two or more of the listed items (A and B), unlessotherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context.Furthermore, the foregoing description is for the purpose ofillustration only, and not for the purpose of limitation, as the scopeof protection sought is defined by the claims as set forth hereinaftertogether with any equivalents thereof. The use of any and all examples,or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intendedmerely to better illustrate the subject matter and does not pose alimitation on the scope of the subject matter unless otherwise claimed.The use of the term “based on” and other like phrases indicating acondition for bringing about a result, both in the claims and in thewritten description, is not intended to foreclose any other conditionsthat bring about that result. No language in the specification should beconstrued as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to thepractice of the embodiments as claimed.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for detecting anomalies, the systemcomprising: a memory storing input data in a first format; and one ormore processors associated with a health insurance carrier andconfigured to: process one or more parameters associated with the inputdata to detect whether an anomaly is indicated in the input data,wherein at least one artificial intelligence algorithm is configured tocompare a parameter in the one or more parameters to a range defined bya moving average; and pause the processing in response to detecting theanomaly, or update, responsive to not detecting the anomaly, a databasebased on the input data, wherein the input data is one of: an ANSI 834format file; or an ANSI 837 format file; and wherein the one or moreprocessors are further configured to: receive the input data from a plansponsor via a network; generate a data structure associated with theinput data that includes at least one of the one or more parametersprocessed by the at least one artificial intelligence algorithm; convertthe input data to a second format based, at least in part, on one ormore validation rules; and store the input data in the second format inthe data structure.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or moreparameters are derived from a plurality of membership records includedin the input data.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least oneartificial intelligence algorithm is included in an artificialintelligence service, wherein at least one processor in the one or moreprocessors is configured to call the artificial intelligence service viaan application programming interface (API), and wherein the callincludes the one or more parameters.
 4. The system of claim 1, whereinthe moving average is calculated, based on a sliding window, as a sum ofvalues for the parameter received during the sliding window from aplurality of input data divided by a number of values included in thesum, and wherein the range is calculated by multiplying the movingaverage by a minimum coefficient and a maximum coefficient.
 5. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein an upper limit and a lower limit of the rangeare learned parameters based on training the artificial intelligencealgorithm.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more parametersinclude at least one of: a number of records in the input data, a numberof new enrollments in the input data, a number of existing enrollmentsin the input data, or a number of errors in demographics data includedin the input data.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or moreprocessors are further configured to implement a user interface thatgenerates a notification transmitted to a client device that indicatesthe anomaly was detected in the input data.
 8. The system of claim 1,wherein the one or more parameters include a plurality of parameters,wherein each parameter in the plurality of parameters is processed by adifferent artificial intelligence algorithm in a plurality of artificialintelligence algorithms, and wherein each artificial intelligencealgorithm utilizes different coefficients to calculate a range tocompare with a corresponding parameter in the plurality of parameters.9. A method, comprising: receiving input data in a first format;processing, via at least one artificial intelligence algorithm, one ormore parameters derived from the input data, wherein each artificialintelligence algorithm in the at least one artificial intelligencealgorithm is configured to compare a value for a parameter to a rangecalculated based on a moving average; and detecting an anomaly in theinput data based on an output of the at least one artificialintelligence algorithm, wherein the input data is received from a plansponsor via a network and is one of: an ANSI 834 format file; or an ANSI837 format file; and wherein the method further comprises: generating adata structure associated with the input data that includes at least oneof the one or more parameters processed by the at least one artificialintelligence algorithm, converting the input data to a second formatbased, at least in part, on one or more validation rules; and storingthe input data in the second format in the data structure.
 10. Themethod of claim 9, wherein the moving average is calculated, based on asliding window, as a sum of values for the parameter received during thesliding window from a plurality of input data divided by a number ofvalues included in the sum, and wherein the range is calculated bymultiplying the moving average by a minimum coefficient and a maximumcoefficient.
 11. The method of claim 9, wherein an upper limit and alower limit of the range are learned parameters based on training theartificial intelligence algorithm.
 12. The method of claim 9, the methodfurther comprising: generating a notification transmitted to a clientdevice that indicates the anomaly was detected in the input data.
 13. Anon-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, whenexecuted by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors todetect anomalies by performing steps comprising: receiving input data ina first format; processing, via at least one artificial intelligencealgorithm, one or more parameters derived from the input data, whereineach artificial intelligence algorithm in the at least one artificialintelligence algorithm is configured to compare a value for a parameterto a range calculated based on a moving average; and detecting ananomaly in the input data based on an output of the at least oneartificial intelligence algorithm, wherein the input data is receivedfrom a plan sponsor via a network and is one of: an ANSI 834 formatfile; or an ANSI 837 format file; and wherein the method furthercomprises: generating a data structure associated with the input datathat includes at least one of the one or more parameters processed bythe at least one artificial intelligence algorithm, converting the inputdata to a second format based, at least in part, on one or morevalidation rules; and storing the input data in the second format in thedata structure.
 14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, whereinthe moving average is calculated, based on a sliding window, as a sum ofvalues for the parameter received during the sliding window from aplurality of input data divided by a number of values included in thesum, and wherein the range is calculated by multiplying the movingaverage by a minimum coefficient and a maximum coefficient.